Where to Find Mistletoe

Provide a festive mood this holiday season and perk up your Christmas spirit by hanging some mistletoe. Here's where to get it.

Online stores. When Frigga, the Norse goddess of beauty, love and marriage, proclaimed that those who stand under mistletoe should be blessed with a kiss, she probably had no idea there would someday exist a Mistletoe.com website, where holiday revelers could buy mistletoe sprigs, mistletoe gift boxes, mistletoe in bulk and just about anything you could imagine involving mistletoe. Other websites for purchasing mistletoe exist, so shop around.

Mail-order mistletoe. Technically, visiting an online mistletoe store constitutes using a mail-order business, but not everyone feels totally secure making purchases online. You can find information for mistletoe mail-order online. The difference is instead of punching your credit card number into a web browser, you give it to someone over the phone or send a check.

Local farmer's market. If you live in an area with a farmer's market, there's a good chance that in December you can buy mistletoe at that farmer's market. In fact, one way shopping malls and other retail outlets attract potential customers is to host local mistletoe and other holiday plant producers.

Local nurseries. If you can't find a local farmer's market that sells mistletoe, try a local nursery. Even if the plant can't be grown locally, it can be shipped to a local nursery or even home improvement stores with a nursery section.

Any place that sells Christmas decorations. Many people aren't aware that the berries on mistletoe are toxic and can prove harmful, especially to children. The Phoradendron species, for example, contains a toxin called phoratoxin, which can cause blurred vision, nausea and abdominal pain. The Viscum species berries carry different toxins but produce similar results if eaten. To avoid accidental poisoning, holiday revelers can purchase imitation mistletoe at any place that sells Christmas decorations and use the mistletoe year after year.